Malcolm A. E. Spence (2 January 1936 – 30 October 2017) was a Jamaican athlete who mainly competed in the 400 metres. His twin brother Melville also competed in track and field.
Spence competed for the British West Indies in the 1960 Summer Olympics held in Rome, Italy, where he won the bronze medal in the men's 4x400 metres relay with his teammates James Wedderburn, Keith Gardner and George Kerr. Curiously, there were two people named Malcolm Spence running the 400 meters distance at both the 1956 and the 1960 Olympics, both getting a bronze medal in 1960. Malcolm Spence from South Africa took the bronze medal in the Open race, while the South African relay team finished in fourth, one second behind Mal Spence's British West Indian relay team. Both twins returned to run the 4x400 relay in 1964 as members of the first independent Jamaican team.
Living in Florida, he served as a torchbearer for the 1996 Olympics in nearby Atlanta.
Both Mal and his twin brother were recruited to run for Arizona State University during the civil rights movement of the late 1950s, among the first international athletes to come to the US for athletics.
He is the author of The Lives and Times of Mal and Mel: Three Times Jamaican Olympians published in 2011.
International competitions Representing 1956Olympic Games1Melbourne, Australia15th (h)200 m21.869th (sf)400 m47.528th (h)4 × 400 m relay3:11.011957British West Indies ChampionshipsKingston, Jamaica1st400 m47.31st4 × 400 m relay3:14.01958British Empire and Commonwealth GamesCardiff, United Kingdom16th (sf)440 y48.43rd4 × 440 y relay3:10.081959British West Indies ChampionshipsGeorgetown, British Guiana2nd400 m1st4 × 400 m relay3:09.5Pan American Games2Chicago, United States3rd400 m46.61st4 × 400 m relay3:05.31960British West Indies ChampionshipsKingston, Jamaica1st400 m46.7Olympic Games2Rome, Italy10th (sf)400 m46.993rd4 × 400 m relay3:04.131962Central American and Caribbean GamesKingston, Jamaica3rd400 m47.41st4 × 400 m relay3:11.6British Empire and Commonwealth GamesPerth, Australia5th440 y47.71st4 × 440 y relay3:10.21963Pan American GamesSão Paulo, Brazil3rd4 × 400 m relay3:12.611964British West Indies ChampionshipsKingston, Jamaica2nd400 m48.2Olympic GamesTokyo, Japan4th4 × 400 m relay3:02.31966Central American and Caribbean GamesSan Juan, Puerto Rico9th (sf)400 m49.4British Empire and Commonwealth GamesKingston, Jamaica22nd (h)440 y48.7 1Disqualified in the final 2Representing
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